# Silicone Robo-Tentacle ## A little background https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkPeF-sYQ-0 Soft robots can potentially do a lot of jobs a hard robot made of steel and servos just can't do. Something composed of soft, flexible structures and actuators might be able to burrow through the dirt like an earthworm, conform to complex objects like a human hand, and go huge distances on minimal power just like organic machines (bats, bugs, dolphins, etc) do. One reason you don't see too many robots like these is how difficult they are to design, plan, and manufacture. Either they're made of lots of interconnecting soft structures knitted together with glue and fasteners (each seam meaning additional labor, expense, and chances of breaking), or composed of a single skin. I've been poking at easier ways to manufacture soft robots and think that these single skin designs have a lot of potential. I think that making robots this way could lower their cost while increasing their strength and durability. I've been calling these single skin robots plionics. The method consists of designing your robot in CAD and working backwards from there to produce an outer mold and an inner core. Casting silicone between the mold and the core forms the robot itself and melting out the core gives you the finished product. You can find the documentation behind a whole series of these robots [here](http://bit.ly/softrobots). **In this tutorial** I'm going to demonstrate how to put together one of my most successful robot designs (a strange squishy creature called the Trefoil Tentacle) using a combination of 3d printing, silicone casting, an arduino, and a bit of pneumatics. ![](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/011/315/medium800/hacks_8461275911_5efe38e194_o.jpg?1380327342) - [Next Page](https://learn.adafruit.com/silicone-robo-tentacle/printing.md) ## Featured Products ### Adafruit METRO 328 Fully Assembled - Arduino IDE compatible [Adafruit METRO 328 Fully Assembled - Arduino IDE compatible](https://www.adafruit.com/product/50) We sure love the ATmega328 here at Adafruit, and we use them _a lot_ for our own projects. The processor has plenty of GPIO, Analog inputs, hardware UART SPI and I2C, timers and PWM galore - just enough for most simple projects. When we need to go small, we use a Out of Stock [Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/50) [Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/50/guides) ### Plastic Water Solenoid Valve - 12V - 1/2" Nominal [Plastic Water Solenoid Valve - 12V - 1/2" Nominal](https://www.adafruit.com/product/997) Control the flow of fluid using the flow of electrons! This liquid valve would make a great addition to your robotic gardening project. There are two 1/2" (Nominal non-taped National Pipe) outlets. Normally, the valve is closed. When 12VDC is applied to the two terminals, the valve opens... In Stock [Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/997) [Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/997/guides) ## Related Guides - [Deciphering Strange Arduino Code](https://learn.adafruit.com/deciphering-strange-arduino-code.md) - [LSM303 Accelerometer + Compass Breakout](https://learn.adafruit.com/lsm303-accelerometer-slash-compass-breakout.md) - [Circuit Playground Sound-Controlled Robot](https://learn.adafruit.com/circuit-playground-sound-controlled-robot.md) - [Reverse Geocache Box](https://learn.adafruit.com/reverse-geocache-engagement-box.md) - [Adafruit 4-Channel ADC Breakouts](https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-4-channel-adc-breakouts.md) - [LED Lightbox](https://learn.adafruit.com/led-lightbox.md) - [WiFi Controlled LED Christmahanukwanzaa Tree](https://learn.adafruit.com/wifi-controlled-led-christmahanukwanzaa-tree.md) - [Automatic Monitor Color Temperature Adjustment](https://learn.adafruit.com/automatic-monitor-color-temperature-adjustment.md) - [Wireless Power Switch with Arduino & the CC3000 WiFi Chip](https://learn.adafruit.com/wireless-power-switch-with-arduino-and-the-cc3000-wifi-chip.md) - [Adafruit Analog Accelerometer Breakouts](https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-analog-accelerometer-breakouts.md) - [Adafruit Optical Fingerprint Sensor](https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-optical-fingerprint-sensor.md) - [Wireless Game Show Poppers for the Classroom!](https://learn.adafruit.com/wireless-game-show-poppers.md) - [IR Sensor](https://learn.adafruit.com/ir-sensor.md) - [Affordable HAL 9000 Replica](https://learn.adafruit.com/hal-9000-replica.md) - [2.2" TFT Display](https://learn.adafruit.com/2-2-tft-display.md)